


Melting Hearts..

by Potato_Soop_Leo



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Canada (Hetalia), Cuba/Canada fluff, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, Hetalia W Academy, Hetalia fluff, M/M, Top Cuba (Hetalia), W Academy AU, ranch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24820771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potato_Soop_Leo/pseuds/Potato_Soop_Leo
Summary: Canada is a first year at a private school known as the W Academy. One candidate from every country is chosen once the other has graduated and takes courses to learn all about the world. Mathew Williams, the candidate from Canada, is constantly picked on by the Cuban candidate, Máximo Machado, as he mistakes Mathew for the Anerican candidate who so happens to be annoying as h e c k.One day after classes, Mathew is pulled aside by the intimidating Cuban, but instead of getting hurt, he gets his heart stolen...
Relationships: Canada/Cuba (Hetalia), Máximo/Mathew
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Sitting big and shining, there stands a school. It houses a group of students from all around the world, never more than one from a country at a time. It’s name is the W Academy, and our story is about two very different males. One small and quiet, a Canadian named Mathew Williams. The other a large and tough male from Cuba, named Máximo Machado. They come from two very different places, and their personalities couldn’t be more opposite. But in the end, opposites attract, do they not? 

On a warm Tuesday morning, the sun was just barely peeking up over the trees surrounding the academy. The orange and red rays of sunlight started breaking through the cracks in the curtains over Mathew’s bedroom window, spilling over his still and calm body. His blonde hair was all messy, and his glasses were set on the table next to his bed. Of course his room was decorated with all of his memorabilia from his home country. There was a large Canadian flag above his bed, and different posters of hockey players pasted messily on the walls around his dresser and mirror. His bedsheets though, were black and plainly that. Of course his peaceful light sleep was soon disrupted by the sound of his alarm blaring loudly beside his head. Mathew shot up and took in a few deep breaths, looking down at his clock. It always seemed to give him quite the scare, even though he knew it would go off. Mathew groaned lightly and reached over blindly, pressing the “sleep” button so that it would turn off. Then he rubbed his eyes before sliding on his glasses, blinking a few times as he adjusted to the lighting in the room. 

Once Mathew was awake enough, he slipped out of his bed and shuffled into the bathroom on the other side of his room, turning on the lights. His eyes shut tight from the sudden brightness, but he opened them slowly to get used to the lights so he could get going with the rest of his morning. He put some paste on his toothbrush and stuck that in his mouth, brushing his teeth lazily. He hated having to be up so early for his classes. But he had been personally invited to attend this school, and he felt honoured so he stayed. Mathew spit out the foam in his mouth and then washed his mouth out with the tap water, putting his toothbrush away and exiting the bathroom, turning the lights off. Once he was back in the main room he opened up the curtain so he could watch the sunrise as he got dressed into his school uniform. It was a navy blue sweater, white button up and a black tie underneath, and a pair of plaid brown pants. His shoes were a dark gray, and he wore a pair of ankle socks so that his feet didn’t hurt from walking around all day. And now, Mathew was ready for anything today threw at him, grabbing his book bag and smiling as he shut his door behind him and took a big step forward!

But of course he bumped right into a big tall figure. Mathew felt his eyes go wide as he stumbled back and looked up, holding the strap of his bag so tightly his knuckles were white. Standing above him was a man, a very very tall man. He had a bit of a big belly, tan skin, and a wide body, his eyes a deep brown that glared down at Mathew and burned holes in his soul. The male’s hair was very dark and pulled back into a ponytail, the loose hairs being held back by a white elastic headband. Mathew let out a small squeak as the man grabbed the collar of his sweater, pulling him a bit closer roughly. The small blonde put his hands up and was trying to find words to say, shaking his head. Then the male spoke, his voice deep and accented. “You think you can just start a fight with me straight off in the morning, Alfred?” He asked, a growl in his tone. 

Mathew didn’t have time to answer before there was a fist in his face, and he heard his glasses crack under the pressure. The blonde let out a little cry of pain as he tasted blood in his mouth. “I-I’m Mathew!” He cried out, but to no help as another hit came to his stomach, causing him to gag before he was dropped on the floor. Mathew collapsed to his knees, gasping a bit to find some air, as the wind had been knocked out of him. The foreign male shook his head and used his foot to push Mathew’s head against the wall with a sickening thud. He then knelt down scoffed. “Next time think before you act, idiot.” And with that, he was off. Mathew whined softly as he shook a bit, tears starting to fall down his face. His lip was split, and he had a small nosebleed now, but he didn’t care. He was so tired of being bullied because he looked like someone that he, coincidentally, also hated quite a bit. He wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but that guy was always calling them twins, because they had the same hair colour and glasses. But Mathew always refused to be called brother, or to hangout and do sibling stuff. Because he didn’t know how on earth that could be his brother. His name was Alfred, the American candidate. They could have chosen anybody from America, but they chose _him_. Not the best choice in Mathew’s opinion. 

As the blonde sat crying on the floor he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jolt in fear and look up at the person touching him. It was somebody he had become quite close with, and saw as a father figure, somebody he could put all his trust to in this school. An older guy named Francis, the candidate from France. He was also a blonde, and had a soft and concerned look on his face as he helped Mathew up off the floor. “Oh, Matthieu, what happened, who’s done this to you?” Francis asked, looking around the halls for anyone else. The Canadian shook his head and pushed up his broken glasses. “It’s no big deal..” he muttered as the two of them walked down the hall, probably to go to the nurse’s office. But firstly they had to get to the main building, and that was what always felt like a long walk after a good beating from his Cuban friend. Yup, that was him, Máximo. Once again beating up Mathew because of a simple misunderstanding and judge of facial features. Really there were plenty of ways to tell them apart, but nobody could figure them out, well, except for Francis. 

Once in the nurse's office, Mathew came up with a lovely little lie that he had fallen down the stairs because he was tired after staying up late to study. It was taken well and believed, which came as a relief. Mathew hated to be a nark, and everytime that Máximo beat him up, he kept quiet and came up with a lie. He didn’t want anybody to get in trouble for Mathew being.. Mathew. He wasn't badly hurt, but had a piece of paper towel up his nose to stop the bleeding, and had an ice pack on the back of his head for a throbbing from being hit against the wall. His glasses weren’t fixable, and that was his only extra pair, which meant he would have to order a new pair. Luckily the school said they would cover it if they gave him his prescription, and the brand of glasses he gets. Mathew thanked the nurse for her help as Francis escorted him out, now taking him to his first class. Francis once again looked over and sighed. “So, what _really_ happened in the hall today?” He asked in a demanding yet soft tone. Mathew frowned and licked the wound on his lip before loosening the grip on his bag strap a bit. “Máximo again, thinking I was Alfred. I accidentally bumped into him when I left my room and he got upset..” Francis groaned and shook his head, saying something that Mathew was blocking out about Máximo being a troublesome guy. The blonde was zoning out. The headache was getting worse from not having his glasses, and everything was all blurry for him. Francis stopped him and said that it was their class. Mathew thanked his friend for all of his help and went into the room, bumping into a couple of desks on his way to his, which was near the front. 

It wasn’t a very large class, only a couple of students were in it, and of course, his _favourite_ person in the world. The teacher soon came in and cleared their throat, looking around at all of the students. “It’s time for roll call!” The teacher announced. Everyone let out a type of ok, whether it be tired or bored. “Alfred Jones?” The teacher called out, and a hand was raised in the front row. Yeah, that guy, the one Mathew really doesn’t like. “Arthur Kirkland?” Another hand in the middle row, that being of someone that was pretty nice, the United Kingdom candidate, but was obsessed with the occult and could be a bit of an asshole sometimes too. “Francis Bonnefoy?” Of course he was there, the wonderful French man that protected Mathew. Although he was pretty horny sometimes and it was scary, he _never_ comes onto Mathew! “Feliciano Vargas?” A very excited male in the front row raised his hand, the Italian candidate. He’s.. interesting, in Matthew's Opinion. “Honda Kiku?” A hand in the back shot up, that being of the Japanese candidate. He was ok, just very quiet, you can never understand what he’s thinking. “Ivan Braginsky?” A gloved hand in the back row was raised, as a genuinely pleased looking male stared at the teacher. The smile sent chills down Mathew’s spine. This was the Russian candidate, and he always looked really really happy. It’s really scary. “Ludwig.. your last name isn’t on the paper, sir?” A tough looking blonde male gave a heavy nod. “I wish for that information not to be disclosed.” He said in a thick heavy German accent. And that’s just where he’s from, Germany. Once again someone that scares Mathew. “Ok.. Mathew Williams?” Mathew skittishly raised his hand and said “here” very quietly. The teacher sighed. “Yes yes, I see you. Wang Yao?” And the last hand in the back row was raised, that being of a brunette with a loose ponytail that laid over his shoulder. This was the Chinese candidate. He’s.. ok to say the least. He and Mathew don’t talk often, and usually he isn’t even noticed, so he doesn’t _have_ to talk. Finally the roll call was over, and it was on to the lessons for the day. Mathew was a very good student, and always wrote down his notes and paid attention. Alfred, who unfortunately sat next him, would always try to break Mathew’s concentration, but that never seemed to work. Of course today was a bit tough without vision, but Francis offered to drop by with some notes later to copy. It was nice for once that Mathew knew French and was able to translate and copy the notes from Francis. 

Class felt as though it would never end, and lunch wasn’t very nice either. Like usual, Mathew had stayed in the classroom and eaten his lunch that he packed for himself. (He makes his own food and puts them in a mini fridge in his room, so that he doesn’t have to go get food from the cafeteria.) Today he had made some pancakes and ginger beef from scratch, which hadn’t tasted too bad! Of course he still needed to improve on his cooking skills, but it was really good! He could definitely taste both the ginger and the beef! He also left some of it in the big fridge in the community kitchen for everyone to try, he just hoped that someone would. Usually they didn’t. But, after lunch it was back to work. As before it was tough, and the day was moving super slow for him. Mathew just wanted to go back to his room and put on a movie, cuddle up with all his polar bear stuffed animals, and stress eat poutine and Nanaimo bars. Those were good stress foods. Sometimes he would just straight up drink r a n c h. Or any salad dressing. If you give it to him when he’s upset, he’ll drink it. Mathew is a person who doesn’t eat much on a daily basis, and when he does it’s not a very big amount. But he’s also a person to eat to no stop when he’s upset. Of course he keeps himself thin by going for jobs and doing yoga, because that’s very calming for him. 

When the bell finally rang, Mathew packed up his stuff as quickly as he could before running out, bumping into the doorframe, but recovering for a second and then leaving the room. He dashed down the hall, looking around anxiously for any sign of Máximo, who was in a class down the hall. He thought he was free, and that he was gonna be able to make a straight line for his room! But once he exited the main building, he was pulled into a space between that and the cafeteria by a big hand. Mathew let out a little scream as he looked up at the man, and his stomach dropped. “Ah! M-Máximo! I don’t want any trouble I’ll just go back to my room! Hey maybe you want some, uhm, some Nanaimo bars?! I have plenty to share!” Mathew sputtered out in fear, just rambling about the first thing that came to his mind. The Cuban looked confused as he pushed Mathew away and frowned. “You’re not Alfred, my mistake.” He said with a huff. Mathew has his hands up in front of his face as Máximo raised his big paw, but then gently put it on Mathew’s shoulder. “Wait! Y-you aren’t gonna pound me like you did this morning?!”

Máximo’s face became one of surprise and he removed his hand. “Oh, did I do that?” Mathew nodded, still cautious. “You thought I was Alfred and broke my glasses..” He muttered. The other male looked away, sort of embarrassed. “Oh..” the two of them stood there in silence, avoiding looking at each other or making eye contact. Finally Máximo spoke. “Hey, I’m really sorry, maybe we could go get some ice cream after class tomorrow?” He offered. Mathew’s eyes went wide as he looked up at the Cuban, but his expression softened when he saw a small smile on the other’s face. Mathew chuckled breathlessly and stood up a bit straighter. “Huh.. that would be.. nice, thank you..” he said. “I’m in class 1-B..” Mathew said with a small chuckle. Máximo nodded and smiled a little wider. “Class 2-C, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” And with a simple wave, he was gone around the corner. Mathew felt his heart pounding a bit. What was that for? He didn’t know, he didn’t feel much other than fear, sadness, and every so often really happy about something. Maybe it was because that had been his upperclassman, and he felt like he hadn’t been polite enough. He didn’t even introduce himself! He knew Máximo’s name, but did Máximo know Mathew’s name? Probably not! 

The blonde ran out of the dark spot and looked around, but Máximo was nowhere in sight. He must have already gone into the dorm building. Mathew sighed and rubbed his eyes, feeling his head pound as he walked into the dorm building, then to the kitchen to get some food. He opened the fridge and looked around for his leftover ginger beef, but just like his new friend, it was gone. Mathew was confused. Usually nobody touched his leftovers, but suddenly somebody had? That was strange. Maybe someone had thrown it away to make room for something else? Further inspection of the trash can proved wrong, and Mathew shrugged it off as a mistake. He grabbed a bottle of blue cheese dressing and shrugged, shutting the fridge door and opening the bottle on his way upstairs, stopping as he saw a note on his door. He plucked it off and read it the best he could. It was a reminder to pick up his new glasses at the nurse’s office tomorrow morning. Mathew sighed in relief, glad that had been so fast, then went into his room. He took a swig of the dressing, shuddering a bit from the taste of the blue cheese, but turned on his TV and then grabbed a plate of Nanaimo bars from his fridge and got into bed. He made these himself, as you can’t buy them where they are, and a lot of them at that. Coconut, chocolate, it was a wonderful treat. And he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into them.


	2. Chapter 2

Yesterday for Mathew had been something of a wreck. He got beat up, broke his glasses, but he also met someone that changed his thoughts on bullies. How they felt and thought. Mathew has always thought of bullies in one way. He thought they were heartless and only hurt because they felt as though it would make them feel better about themselves. But now, he felt something else about bullies. He felt that some of them were truly good at heart, but beat up people who honestly deserved it. Like other bullies or just annoying people. Mathew understood that some bullies could feel and had a heart, because he met one yesterday that changed his mind. And he was going out with him after class today. Mathew was a little anxious, because the only way Máximo recognized him yesterday was because he didn’t have his glasses on, so maybe he would mistake Mathew for someone else today too now that he had a new pair of glasses? Either way, Mathew hated putting his glasses on the next morning, just standing outside the nurse’s office staring at them with hatred starting to well up inside of his heart. But either way, he slipped the glasses onto his face, taking a moment to let the blurs fade away and for the world in front of him to become much more clear. There was always contact lenses, but Mathew was a bit afraid to touch his own eye, let alone put something in it. He used to wear contacts at the beginning of the year though. 

By the time lunch had rolled around, Mathew was very ready to finally be alone. Just him and his lunch, today being chicken strips and waffles. Yup, he made that. He wasn’t sure if he should put ranch over it or syrup, but with a coin flip he chose syrup. He realized now that was probably for the better. Of course Mathew hadn’t expected to have a visitor, as he was eating his lunch and staring at the wall in front of him, analyzing notes on the board, he heard a small knock. It caused the blonde to jump a bit, but he quickly looked over to see the source of the noise. He gulped when he saw Máximo standing in the doorway, the Cuban just staring blankly at the Canadian. Of course he walked into the room and sat down, looking over at Mathew. “You’re eating alone?” He asked. Mathew nodded, a little embarrassed. “Before you ask, I was passing by and saw you in here, I wasn’t looking for you.” Mathew scoffed slightly and rolled his eyes, looking over with a small smile and an eyebrow raised. “I’m serious. Besides, nobody should eat alone. I already ate though.” Máximo laughed a bit nervously, not being all that good at interacting with someone he found so fragile as Mathew. Words could make him crumble in fear. So his words were soft. 

Mathew looked back at the board for a moment and then to the window, slipping off his glasses. He set them in his lap and then continued to eat. Máximo watched, kinda confused. He didn’t understand why Mathew took off his glasses, but didn’t say anything about it. That’s when he perked up a little. “Hey, I just realized. I don’t even know your name. I’m Máximo Machado, and you?” Mathew jumped at the sudden excitement of the other males voice, almost choking on his chicken. But, the blonde nodded. He already knew, but now he had to introduce himself. “Oh, I-I’m Mathew Williams, I’m from Canada..” Mathew said quietly. Máximo nodded slowly and looked at the board, seeing exactly what was being taught. Something about something from another country. Máximo was in a more advanced class but this was different than what he learned the year previous. Maybe because he had a different teacher? Either way it was interesting, but he could see Mathew squinting to see what the board said. Máximo was about to say something, but as he opened his mouth the bell rang. “I’ll see you after class then.” He said and stood up, walking out of the room. Mathew sighed softly as he put his leftovers away, putting his glasses back on before anybody else saw him without them. 

The rest of class was fine, and when the bell rang, Mathew left the room. He looked around and didn’t see Maximo in the hall, so he ran outside and held his books close to his chest. He ran outside and then went straight for his dorm, making it this time. He made sure to get to his room and made no stops, shutting his door and locking it. Mathew set his books on the bed and then started changing into something more casual than his school uniform. To go out he put on a white thing zip up and then a puffy green vest, as today had been a bit colder than usual, and then a pair of blue jeans. He tipped it off with a pair of dirty white tennis shoes, and then walked into his bathroom. Mathew opened a drawer and pulled out a contact case, opening it and looking at the clear circles in the liquid. The blonde sighed and took his glasses off, using his finger to pick up one of the contacts. He whined a little as he put the first one in, wincing and pulling away, but after blinking a couple times as he got used to the feeling, putting in the other one. His eyes adjusted quickly, and Mathew stared at himself for a moment, then he grabbed his wallet, stuck it in his pocket, and left the room. 

Once Mathew got outside, he noticed Máximo waiting on the stairs, wearing a pair of dark brown jean shorts and a button up red shirt with hardly noticeable orange flower print. He turned around to look at Mathew, a cigarette in his mouth. Máximo stubbed it out on the stairs and then threw the cigarette away, smiling at Mathew, but easing a brow. “Where are your glasses?” He asked. Mathew smiled nervously and shook his head. “I decided it’d be easier with contacts!” He muttered, walking ahead of his friend, hands in the pockets of his vest. Máximo shrugged it off and followed, walking by his shorter friend, stealing glances at him every few seconds. This seemed awkward, neither of them knew exactly what to say. So the walk down the street was only filled by the sound of cars driving up and down the street to their destinations. 

Once they reached the main town, Mathew stuck close to his much larger intimidating friend. He was always afraid of being in cities, he liked to be in rural areas where there weren’t so many people, though vacations were nice sometimes. Máximo noticed this and chuckled lightly. “No need to be afraid, amigo.” He said in a slightly raised tone, so he could be heard above the sea of people. “We’re almost there anyways, just loosen up, you look like I’m kidnapping you.” Mathew laughed nervously and nodded, taking in a few deep breaths as they turned to the door of an ice cream shop. Mathew looked around, and it was one of those make it yourself places, which made him calm down some. “Don’t worry, it’s my treat, to make up for beating you up yesterday.” Máximo said with a thumbs up, and the blonde nodded. The two of them got the biggest cups they could, and made up big cups of ice cream, putting on loads of toppings. Máximo paid up the fee and the two of them went outside, sitting at a metal table and eating their ice cream and chatting about their home countries. 

Mathew was fascinated by the sound of Cuba, wanting to soak in every little detail. He wanted to be there during the summers and experience the foods and beaches. It sounded wonderful there. And Máximo loved the sound of Canada too. He wanted to see the mountains and watch a hockey match, taste all the different foods and see snow. He’d never seen snow before. At that point, they both decided they needed to visit each other’s home countries and see what the hype was. During the summer break of course. They smiled and finished off their treats, and then started the walk back to the school. 

Once they were back the two of them stood at the bottom of the stairs. Máximo was running his eyes over Mathew. The Cuban nodded and then bit his lip. “Hey, about the contacts. I like the glasses better. Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, Máximo went inside the building, and probably went straight up to his room. But Mathew just stood there, surprised. He could feel his heart pounding lightly, and his face feeling a bit heated. Why did he feel that way? Was it the comment about his glasses? Mathew hadn’t a clue how to react to that statement! He had to tell somebody about it, but who could he tell? He only had two friends. Francis wasn’t his first option, his answer would obviously be just straight up trying to have sex with someone. And the only other person Mathew could go to…

“Come on in Bro!” Alfred said excitedly, opening the door wider for Mathew to walk inside. Alfred’s room wasn’t too absurd, just a lot of stupid stuff in the walls and patterned bedsheets. It was way too bright for Mathew’s taste. But this was the only person he could come to for help. Mathew took a seat on a couch on one side of the room, and Alfred joined him. The Canadian fiddled with his hands before he started talking. “I felt like you were the only person I could… Come talk to about this issue… I think I have a crush on someone..” Alfred’s face lit up as he started to cheer a bit, grabbing Mathew’s shoulders. “B-but I’m not sure yet! H-his name is M-Máximo! A second year!” Alfred’s nose scrunched up at hearing it was his bully, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “Well, he’s really nice to me! I don’t really have anyone I can put my trust to most the time, and he’s got a good heart! I can tell!” 

Alfred rolled his eyes but smiled a bit. He was a bit giddy now. His bro, having a crush on a bully! It was Like Lisa and Nelson, the smart quiet kid with the strong asshole! Alfred was excited about this! He wanted to tell everybody! But of course he knew that wouldn't be in Mathew's best interest when it came to how he felt about the situation. So for the time being, Alfred would keep his trap shut. Mathew of course caught onto his friend's excitement and told him to keep his mouth shut about everything. "Or else". Alfred laughed that off and agreed yes, he would stay quiet. Matthew thanked him and then rubbed the back of his neck. "But what should I do? I'm not sure if I even really like him…" 

Alfred thought it over for a moment and then shrugged. "Well spend more time with him! Get to know more about him! Family, favourite foods, what kind of music he likes! That basic simple stuff! You'll feel it in your soul if you really actually like him!” Mathew was a bit surprised that Alfred knew all of this, but nodded along and took the advice. It seemed really correct, and he was going to follow through on that statement. Mathew thanked his “friend” and then left the room, looking around he shut the door, letting out a huff. He started walking down the hall and looking at the plaques by everyone’s door. Next to every door, around knob height, is a shiny gold plaque, and it says your full name on it. And finally, near the end of the hallway, Mathew found the door he was looking for, shakily knocking on it. 

It took a moment but there was a click, as the door seemed to have Been locked, and then it swung open, Máximo standing in the doorway. He smiled at the sight of his new friend, though Mathew was a bit sad it didn’t have more emotion other than genuine surprise. “Uhm, I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go to dinner tomorrow? I feel bad that you paid for the ice cream today, and I Wanna treat you to something! What’s your favourite food? We’ll go get it!” It would be a lie to say that Mathew didn’t sound nervous saying all of this. But in the end, the Cuban though he was being a little cute. Wait, what was he starting to feel? He of course nodded with his usual smile. “Oh! I like Mexican food! It’s shit compared to Cuban but it’s something at least! Although I wouldn’t mind trying something you like either!” Mathew felt a small blush start to creep over his face. Yeah, he really likes French foods, so this would be an interesting dinner now. The blonde had been to France a couple of times, since he lived in Quebec for awhile when he was younger, and was fluent in French. It just became a second language and home for him. Besides, the food and culture of France was wonderful. “Alright! See you tomorrow then!” Mathew said with a small crack in his voice at the end. He put a hand over his mouth and rushed off. 

As Máximo shut his door a small chuckle escaped his lips. He felt his face heat up a little as he sat down in one of those hammock chairs, yes he had one in his room, and sighed softly. Why was his heart pounding so much? Máximo blames it on being amused by his new friend’s actions. It was funny to see him so afraid, even after they had such a fun time. Maybe it was _because_ they had such a good time. Did Mathew like him or something? That was strange for Máximo to think about, but he was diving deeper into the thought despite how much he _didn’t_ want to. But tomorrow they would be going out again, this time for dinner. And somewhere deep down, Máximo was a bit nervous.


End file.
